Morning Skate Report: March 1, 2023
Golden Knights host Hurricanes to kick off three-game homestand
By
Ryan Levine @GoldenKnights / VegasGoldenKnights.com
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: TNT
Radio: FOX Sports Las Vegas 98.9/1340 | Deportes Vegas 1460
WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH KNIGHT
The Vegas Golden Knights team will host Women's History Knight for the first time on Wednesday, March 1 at 7 p.m. PT, when the Golden Knights host the Carolina Hurricanes at T-Mobile Arena. Wednesday's game is presented by UMC as the Golden Knights celebrate the start of Women's History Month.
During warm-ups, the Golden Knights will wear specialty jerseys designed by team graphic designer, Stephanie Suominen. The jersey will feature a flowered crest inspired by the pin worn during the Women's Suffrage movement and will feature other important details to highlight the history of women's equality.
Following warm-ups, fans will have the opportunity to own the one-of-a-kind sweaters as they will be signed and available for auction online. To participate in the online auction, fans can visit
WHM2023.givesmart.com
or text "WHM2023" to 76278. The auction will begin at 5:45 p.m. PT and conclude at 9 p.m. PT that evening. Jerseys and nameplates will be bundled together and warm-up pucks will also be available for purchase outside of Section 11 and Section 12 inside T-Mobile Arena. A portion of the proceeds from Wednesday will benefit
The Shade Tree
, a non-profit organization that shelters Las Vegas women and their children.
Jenn Stehlin, in-arena announcer for the Henderson Silver Knights, will join Katie Marie and Mark Shunock as hosts for the game and Women's History Month graphics will be incorporated in all of the team's game elements Wednesday night, both in arena and on social media. Punam Mathur, known for her advocacy for public education, eradicating hunger, and improvements in the Southern Nevada community, will ring the first period siren to begin the contest. At first intermission, members of the Vegas Jr. Golden Knights 12-and-under girls team will take part in Mites at Knight on the ice. Throughout the game, fans are invited to Sections 7 and 8 to fill out "A Woman Who Inspires Me Is…" signs and take photos.
NOTES
Michael Hutchinson has been recalled from the Henderson Silver Knights with Laurent Brossoit on IR.
Ivan Barbashev will play his first home game for the Golden Knights.
Wednesday's game will be the first of two matchups this season between Vegas and Carolina.
LAST TIME OUT
The Golden Knights were shut out 3-0 on Monday night by the Avalanche at Ball Arena. Mikko Rantanen gave the Avalanche the lead just 14 seconds into the game. During the second period, Rantanen scored again to give the Avalanche a 2-0 lead. In the final frame, Nathan MacKinnon scored an empty-net goal with less than five minutes remaining to secure the 3-0 victory for the Avalanche.
VGK SCORING LEADERS
Chandler Stephenson - 50 points (12G, 38A)
Jack Eichel - 43 points (20G, 23A)
Reilly Smith - 39 points (19G, 20A)
Mark Stone - 38 points (17G, 21A)
William Karlsson - 38 points (11G, 27A)
Jonathan Marchessault - 38 points (17G, 21A)
Alex Pietrangelo - 35 points (8G, 27A)
MILESTONE WATCH
Adin Hill - two games away from 100 NHL games
Chandler Stephenson - one game away from 400 NHL games
William Karlsson - seven games away from 600 NHL games
William Carrier - two points away from 100 NHL points
Jonathan Marchessault - one point away from 400 NHL points
Reilly Smith - seven goals away from 200 NHL goals
PACIFIC DIVISION PICTURE
Vegas Golden Knights - 35-19-6, 76 points
Los Angeles Kings - 34-20-8, 76 points
Seattle Kraken - 33-21-6, 72 points
Edmonton Oilers - 32-21-8, 72 points
Calgary Flames - 27-21-13, 67 points
Vancouver Canucks - 24-31-5, 53 points
San Jose Sharks - 18-31-12, 48 points
Anaheim Ducks - 20-34-7, 47 points
OPPOSITION UPDATE
Entering the game against Vegas, the Carolina Hurricanes sit atop the Metropolitan Division with a record of 39-11-8 and 86 points. In their last 10 games, they have gone 8-2-0, having most recently been defeated by the Anaheim Ducks 3-2. Sebastian Aho (25G, 27A) and Martin Necas (23G, 29A) lead the Hurricanes in points with 52 each. Andrei Svechnikov is only one point behind with 51 (21G, 30A). From the back-end, Brent Burns leads Hurricanes' defensemen in points with 44 (12G, 32A).
A VEGAS VICTORY WOULD…
- Mark the 252nd win in franchise history
- Give the Golden Knights a 4-2-3 record against Carolina all-time
- Improve the Golden Knights' record against Eastern Conference teams this season to 16-7-2
KEYS TO THE GAME
Puck Possession: In their previous game against the Colorado Avalanche, the Golden Knights were unable to keep possession of the puck in the offensive zone for extended periods of time. According to coach Bruce Cassidy, they were pushed off the puck too easily, and while they did get some opportunities in the slot, they were ineffective at creating second chances. They must rectify this prior to their meeting with the Carolina Hurricanes to produce any sustained offensive pressure.
Clog up the Neutral Zone: The Hurricanes play a fast-paced game and are quick in transition. This grants them the ability to create offense off the rush or establish their presence in the offensive zone to work the puck around. The Golden Knights need to cut off passing lanes through the neutral zone and limit their options of where to safely move the puck.
